Computer Hardware

Apple has been following a trend of going smaller and sleeker with their designs, and continue to push the envelope with the introduction of the new iPod Shuffle this week. Even though it now has 4GB of memory (1,000 songs), it's about half the volume of the last version...which was already just slightly bigger than a quarter. The unit now basically looks like a stick of Orbit gum in an aluminum wrapper with a headphone jack and a clip. It still has no screen. It also has no controls on the unit itself other than the on/off switch, there's no room. Instead, they moved them to the wire of the custom Apple headphones.

New features include something called VoiceOver, where for the first time on an iPod Shuffle you can identify what or who you are listening to from a soothing male voice that comes directly from the iPod.

Yes...your iPod can now talk to you.

Personally, I'm not sold on this feature. I make the playlists that load onto my old Shuffle, so I know it's music that I enjoy and can already identify on my own. The name of the iPod is the "Shuffle", so you can conclude pretty quickly that its entire purpose is to randomly shuffle through what you loaded into it. The whole thing just seems unnecessary. It's a weak attempt at trying to give some kind of playlist control, without a display, to a unit that really doesn't require it.

What's the biggest reason for me not upgrading my old iPod Shuffle? The controls being moved to the earbuds. Currently, in order for this new iPod to work, you MUST use the custom Apple earbuds for this iPod. It's the only way to get it to work, because they are the only ones with the controls. Apple has said it is working with headphone makers to develop compatible earphones for the shuffle, but nothing else is on the market so far. I don't know about most people, but Apple earbuds destroy my ears, and the quality isn't anything to brag about. I'm in pain by the 3rd or 4th song, and want them out immediately. I'm pretty particular about sound quality and comfort and have invested in Bose Tri-Port In-Ear Headphones for my mobile listening pleasure. CNET doesn't give them the greatest review, but I think the sound from them is amazing and they are probably the most comfortable headphones I have ever used.

I'm not very keen on the idea of replacing my favorite headphones (which cost more than the new $80 shuffle to begin with) with something sub-par just because Apple decided smaller is better.

I personally get very excited when I read about new steps in wireless technology. I own a lot of gadgets, a lot of media hardware, and a lot of computers. With all of that comes a large electric bill and worse yet... a lot of wires. They're everywhere, they're a pain to keep organized and to hide, and they keep my gadgets confined to restricted areas. I dream of the day when every gadget I own is wireless. According to a report from ScienceDaily, my dreams may be approaching reality.

The Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has developed a new chip design that promises wireless functionality for ultra-fast media applications. The new Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) chip is capable of transmitting 60 GHz digital Radio Frequency (RF) signals. The chip "represents the highest level of integration for 60GHz wireless single-chip solutions."

What does this mean? Multi-gigabit wireless technology is the next step for new wireless applications. Consumers and IT markets alike will benefit from this new technology.

It's been over 50 years since the Golden Era of 3D in theaters that began in 1952 with the release of Bwana Devil, the first stereoscopic feature film. Since then the 3D industry has had a few revivals and lulls, and has been carried along as a novelty in IMAX theaters... but now it seems it may see a permanent place in the entertainment world, and soon our own homes.

Following the success of 3D versions of kid films over the past year, four leading studios will be backing the conversion of 10,000 screens to digital, making 3D movie offerings more of a staple in the film industry. With large HD televisions steadily dropping in price, and Blu-ray seeming to do well this holiday season, film studios are looking for anything to coax viewers out of their home and back into the theaters.

On November 10th, Digitimes reported that Apple and Asustek were reducing notebook outsourcing by 20-30% for the fourth quarter of this year. This came less than a month after the October 14th launch of the Unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro. It's not very surprising in these economic times, and it also may be that they are bringing production levels down to a normal level after trying to meet the demands of the first month after launch.

Recent reports say that Apple saw a 28% increase in sales over last October following the launch of the new MacBooks and HP has reported that their Q3 notebook revenue grew 26%. But in the long run, I think Apple might be pricing itself out of the competition with how tight money is this holiday season.

The new MacBooks haven't reduced in price at all as far as I can tell, while Windows notebooks have seen about a 20% price drop in the past 2 years. I'm a Mac fan, but you have to wonder how it is all adding up?

Everyone I know used to owned a Dell. I think I've owned 3 or 4 in the past 10 years. But Dell took a tumble a few years back, and lost their commanding grasp on the market. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that they were the ugliest option on the market for a while.

In the computer world, features and performance should be the most important things to consider when purchasing a new machine...

I'm a trackball man. I don't know how it happened or when exactly, but if I can avoid a mouse or a touch pad, I will. A lot of what I do for work and fun on a computer is graphics-related. There is nothing more annoying than running out of mouse pad and/or desk space when trying to finish a pen or brush stroke in Adobe Creative Suite, which is part of why I abandoned the mouse altogether.
Thumb- or finger-trackballs are all fine with me.